Often weightlifting systems include a bar with removable plates of varying weight amounts.
A bar loaded with plates can be used to execute various movements, such as lifts carried out when engaging in Olympic-style weightlifting. The snatch and clean-and-jerk are examples of competition lifts executed in Olympic-style weightlifting. In both the snatch and the clean-and-jerk, a lifter must lift the bar loaded with weights from a platform to an overhead position. For example, when executing the snatch, a lifter moves the bar from the platform to overhead (i.e., arms locked out) in a single movement. Alternatively, the clean-and-jerk includes moving (i.e., cleaning) the bar from the platform to a “racked position” in which the bar is positioned near or across the deltoids and clavicle region. From the racked position, the bar is moved (i.e., jerked) to an overhead position with arms locked. The snatch and the clean-and-jerk are merely examples of lifts that require such movement of the bar, and a variety of other movements may be executed using a bar loaded with weights in which the bar is moved from a platform to an elevated position.
Weightlifting movements can require good technique and focus in order to be executed. For example, a lifter's starting position (e.g., FIG. 4) will often determine whether the lift is successful. That is, an incorrect starting position can often cause a lift to fail. As such, it can be important for the bar to be positioned at a correct height off of the ground in order to assist the lifter achieve a good starting position.
It is not uncommon for the bar to be dropped while a lifter is executing a lift and to strike a floor or platform. For example, a lifter may fail to complete a lift, in which case the lifter drops the bar mid-lift and the bar strikes the floor. In addition, a lifter may drop the weight after a lift has been executed, such as from a racked position or from an overhead position. As such, it can be important that plates loaded on the bar be made of a material that will not damage the platform or the bar.
FIG. 1 depicts drawbacks of some conventional technique plates 10, which may be made from rubber. Conventional technique plates 10 may include other materials as well, such as a metal plate (e.g., iron plate) that is encased by the rubber or a metal ring positioned in a bar-receiving hole of the plate. The conventional technique plate 10 depicted in FIG. 1 is problematic because it bends, thereby making it difficult to achieve a proper starting position or setup useful for learning proper technique.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of other conventional technique plates 20. These technique plates 20 are made thin in order to achieve a light weight and low mass for weightlifting training. These technique plates 20 are hexagonal shaped to enable them to stand up. However, these technique plates 20 cannot be dropped, which is not good for learning weightlifting technique.